Wild 2015-16: Stumbling Out

Alternate logo since 2003. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Wild ended their NHL season with a first round Stanley Cup playoff loss in six games to the Dallas Stars, the team that left Minnesota nearly a quarter century ago.  Considering the type of regular season the Wild had, it's a wonder the team made it to the playoffs at all, let alone for the fourth consecutive season.  And why even a major overhaul might not be the answer for seasons to come.

The Wild ended the regular season with 87 points, the fewest to qualify for the playoffs since the shootout era began.  They had two epic winless streaks, which resulted not only in getting coach Mike Yeo replaced with John Torchetti on an interim basis, but in nearly missing out on the last wild card playoff spot.  Along with the poor-to-indifferent play, there were key injuries such as the one to Zach Parise, whose back issues caused him to miss the remainder of the season and may require surgery.

It is now painfully obvious that the Wild spent too much money signing too many long-term contracts with free agents who, it turns out, are past their prime.  The Iowa Wild, their minor league affiliate playing out of Des Moines, have been the worst team in the American Hockey League the past couple of seasons.  Minnesota's draft prospects aren't that great either, having traded most of those picks to get the veterans you see on the ice today.

General manager Chuck Fletcher is expected to stick around, and so might coach Torchetti--if for no other reason than the Wild couldn't find anyone better.  We hear there's not exactly a bumper crop of experienced former NHL coaches this year.

A Stanley Cup title is not in the Minnesota Wild's future as long as their underachieving players continue to coast during the regular season, doing just enough to earn that final playoff spot, then hitting the golf courses once they've been eliminated in the first or second round.  Management needs to be reminded that money spent on pricey free agents doesn't change everything.  It only masks the problems that already exist on the ice, no matter how many sellouts you have at Xcel Energy Center.

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Our projected Stanley Cup Final matchup:  Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Dallas Stars.

Wolves 2015-16: Out of the Ashes

The current Minnesota Timberwolves logo (2008-present) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Timberwolves began their season mourning the death of coach and director of basketball operations Flip Saunders.  Interim coach Sam Mitchell was tasked with the job of shepherding a team filled with talent, including Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and Zach LaVine, that long-suffering fans hoped would take them to where the Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors are now.

Now it's the end of the season, and the Wolves with a 29-53 record did not make the playoffs once again.  They made news in the past few weeks with signature wins over the Warriors (at Oakland), Oklahoma City, Portland and Memphis.  In the final game of the season at Target Center, the Wolves put up 144 points--the most in team history--on the New Orleans Pelicans.  Towns (a possible NBA Rookie of the Year) scored 28 points, 14 rebounds and two three-pointers, marking the 51st time this season that he has triple-doubled in a game.

Despite players and some media members requesting the Wolves to keep Mitchell as coach, his status went from 'interim' to 'former'.  The same fate awaits General Manager Milt Newton, once the NBA Draft is over and the team determines who takes over Saunders' old jobs.  There will be plenty of candidates this time around, unlike what happened before disgruntled Kevin Love was traded to the Cavs.

Yes, the Timberwolves have a bright future.  But that's the same thing we were told about the Minnesota Twins before this season, and look where they are now.  Winless to start the 2016 baseball season, as of April 14.  The Wolves have been down this road many times, and they are perfectly capable of screwing up the future again.

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Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant said goodbye to his playing career by dropping 60 points in a rare Los Angeles Lakers victory over the Utah Jazz at Staples Center.  He has had a great career, but the Lakers and their fans couldn't wait to see him leave so they could start winning without him.

The Warriors did indeed win its 73rd game of the season against the Memphis Grizzlies, a new NBA record.  Unless they win another championship, how much will it actually mean?

Our NBA Finals pick:  Toronto Raptors vs. Golden State Warriors.

UPDATE (4/20/16):  The new coach and Chief Basketball Operator is Tom Thibodeau, who used to run the Chicago Bulls and get them into the playoffs.  Time will tell whether Tommy T. will do the same thing with the Wolves before inevitably running them into the ground.

NCAA: A Dynasty and a Buzzer-Beater

English: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) logo. Source: http://www1.ncaa.org/eprise/main/Public/mlp/promotions_special_events/pe_web/promo_manual/memos/identity.pdf Converted by User:King of Hearts from :Image:National Collegiate Athletic Association logo.png using Inkscape. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The 2016 NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships were notable in that one team came completely out of nowhere to win it all, and the other renewed its dominance over the sport with a record-setting fourth consecutive title.  Here's what happened:

Connecticut 82, Syracuse 51

A few records were set in Indianapolis Tuesday as the Huskies won their fourth consecutive NCAA women's title.  Not only has no other team won that many in a row, but they have also won 75 straight games.  Coach Geno Auriemma has now won more championships (11) than John Wooden ever did during his tenure as the UCLA men's coach in the 1960s and 70s.  Senior Breanna Stewart closed her college career by scoring 24 points, ten rebounds and six assists against the Orange, earning her the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament for the fourth time.  No other player had done that, either.

Some might ask whether UConn's domination is good for women's basketball when the sport is struggling to be on a par with the men's game in terms of media attention and fan support, and why the best players in the country seem to land on Auriemma's squad as if it were an all-star team.  This shouldn't diminish the impact of what the Huskies women have accomplished, but it should be food for thought.

Villanova 77, North Carolina 74

The Wildcats' win in Houston Monday night was just as surprising as the last time they won the men's title, which was in 1985.  Right after Marcus Paige of the Tar Heels shot a three-pointer to take the lead with five seconds left, Kris Jenkins went down the floor to hit his own three as time ran out to give Villanova the championship.  Ryan Arcidiacoma, who scored 14 points in the final game for the Wildcats, was the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player trophy winner.

If nothing else, Villanova not only rescued a mostly mediocre tournament filled with blowouts and upsets, but they also spared the NCAA from the embarrassment of having to strip North Carolina of its title because of alleged academic improprieties..  The Tar Heels might get sanctioned anyway, but nobody's holding their breath.

Seventeen million folks watched the men's championship game on TBS, the first time it had been seen only on cable.  That's eleven million down from last year's game on CBS, which was more highly-anticipated than this year's was.  Wonder if the number would have been more if there hadn't been "homer" feeds on TNT and truTV?